ridicule

noun

rid·i·cule | \ ˈri-də-ˌkyül

Definition of ridicule

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the act of ridiculing : derision, mockery

ridicule

verb

ridiculed; ridiculing

Definition of ridicule (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make fun of

Other Words from ridicule Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about ridicule

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Synonyms for ridicule

Synonyms: Noun

derision, mockery, sport

Synonyms: Verb

deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, laugh (at), mock, scout, shoot down, skewer

Choose the Right Synonym for ridicule

Verb

ridicule, deride, mock, taunt mean to make an object of laughter of. ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling. consistently ridiculed everything she said deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule. derided their efforts to start their own business mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference. youngsters began to mock the helpless wino taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge. hometown fans taunted the visiting team

Examples of ridicule in a Sentence

Noun

She didn't show anyone her artwork for fear of ridicule. the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridicule

Verb

The other kids ridiculed him for the way he dressed. They ridiculed all of her suggestions.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Much like Gwyneth Paltrow, who sells Moon Juice products on Goop, she’s taken the negative attention and lowkey ridicule and actually turned it into a booming lifestyle brand. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "Adaptogenic dusts, oils, and pills have a veneer of science, but there’s not much evidence to back them up.," 2 Nov. 2018 Those that choose to speak out often face backlash, skepticism, and ridicule. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "1,600 Men Show Their Support for Christine Blasey Ford in Full-Page New York Times Ad," 26 Sep. 2018 Some have become the subjects of wild conspiracy theories and have faced ridicule, personal insults and even death threats for speaking out about gun control. — Derek Hawkins, chicagotribune.com, "Rapper Killer Mike says NRA misused interview as 'weapon' against marchers," 26 Mar. 2018 Some have become the subjects of wild conspiracy theories and have faced ridicule, personal insults and even death threats for speaking out about gun control. — Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, "Rapper Killer Mike says NRA misused interview as ‘weapon’ against marchers," 26 Mar. 2018 If the President is in a serious firing mood, the person most at risk could be Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has endured ridicule, taunting and criticism far longer than any other Cabinet member. — Jeremy Diamond, Jeff Zeleny And Manu Raju, CNN, "Firing Trump's Cabinet is easy. Replacing them is hard.," 15 Mar. 2018 The conventional wisdom is that the DNA report backfired and may damage Ms. Warren’s standing as a possible presidential nominee, providing fodder for ridicule from Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Joe Biden. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "What Is Elizabeth Warren?," 17 Oct. 2018 And now, the president himself has added to the obstacles survivors face with the message, delivered loud and clear, that their accounts are worthy of ridicule. — Anna North, Vox, "Trump’s mockery of Christine Blasey Ford perpetuates rape culture," 3 Oct. 2018 But like many novel scientific ideas, his theory was met with ridicule. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "We’ve Been Wrong Before: The Expanding Earth Theory," 3 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Also appearing in the video, Fallon and Mark Ronson attempted to give Cyrus multiple gifts, but all were ridiculed or rebuffed. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Watch Miley Cyrus Perform Her Feminist Version of 'Santa Baby'," 22 Dec. 2018 This lack of awareness breeds a social stigma that makes people with celiac disease wary of being misunderstood or ridiculed. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Party City Pulls Controversial Ad Calling Gluten-Free People 'Gross'," 25 Jan. 2018 Navigating life in America without the full protection of VAWA—and in the hands of leaders who ridicule, degrade, and aim to harm us—is a terrifying, dystopian proposition. — Jennifer Weiss-wolf, Harper's BAZAAR, "Even If Kavanaugh Gets Confirmed, We Must Fight For the Violence Against Women Act," 4 Oct. 2018 Korea, second loan from the World Bank was for education and they were ridiculed for taking a loan for education. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Big data could ‘stop famines from ever happening again,’ says World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim," 24 Sep. 2018 Brodesser-Akner’s astute character study seeks to understand its subject, not to deplore her, forgive her, or ridicule her. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "What If Tonya Harding Were Black?," 11 Jan. 2018 My favorite of all the mechanisms for ridiculing us is #FloridaMan on Twitter. — Todd Stewart, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Florida Man' as explained on Donald Glover's 'Atlanta'," 25 May 2018 Arab academics, foremost among them Edward Said, a Palestinian, ridiculed him as an agent of American imperialism. — The Economist, "Bernard Lewis was the doyen of Orientalists," 22 May 2018 The male student’s friends continued to ridicule her after the incident, the lawsuit says. — Joe Marusak, charlotteobserver, "Woman claims NC university botched response to on-campus rape | Charlotte Observer," 24 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ridicule.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.